The Federal Communications Commission Thursday published its final version of a controversial plan to repeal internet regulation measures known as net neutrality, The Hill reports.
The text of the final version nearly mirrors the proposal the agency approved in December. It eliminates Obama-era net neutrality rules that prohibit internet service providers from blocking or slowing down websites or creating internet "fast lanes." Before the policy goes into effect, it must be approved by the White House Office of Budget and Management, which is expected to OK the measure, according to The Hill.
As part of the final version of the rollback, the FCC addressed controversial points brought up during the net neutrality debate, including letters sent by lawmakers and states' attorneys general. Those issues involved the FCC's decision to move forward with the vote, despite evidence of a flawed comment process where millions of fake net neutrality accounts had been filed.
"To the extent that members of the public are concerned about the presence in the record of identical or nearly-identical non-substantive comments that simply convey support or opposition to the proposals in the Internet Freedom [Notice of Proposed Rulemaking], those comments in no way impeded the Commission's ability to identify or respond to material issues in the record," the agency wrote in the document. It added that its order "demonstrates the Commission's deep engagement with the substantive legal and public policy questions."
Click here to read the full version of the final rule proposal.
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